Governor Bentley joins state and local leaders on Alabama’s Gulf Coast to discuss and sign the Gulf State Park legislation. (Photo Credit: Governor’s Office, Jennifer Ardis)

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WIAT) — On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed Senate Bill 231, which allows for improvements at Gulf State Park.

The improvements include the addition of a lodge, a meeting facility and an environmental research and education facility.

“My vision is for a lodge that everyone can visit and enjoy. I want more families to come to the Gulf State Park and explore our natural resources,” Governor Bentley said on Tuesday. “I want the Alabama Gulf Coast to have a facility that can host meetings and gatherings that currently have to be held in other states. This lodge will help us share the natural beauty of the Alabama Gulf Coast with more people while also supporting more jobs and strengthening the coastal economy.”

The money for the project will come from a settlement with BP for the 2010 oil spill.

Nearly $85.5 million of funding for the enhancements will come from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Early Restoration process (NRDA). Of that, roughly $58 million is set aside for the lodge and meeting facility.